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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26661727">space to grow</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account'>orphan_account</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Haikyuu!!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Light Angst, POV Second Person, Post-Break Up, meeting your ex</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 11:33:30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,009</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26661727</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>You had hoped that your first meeting with your ex would be something proper.</p><p>or;</p><p>You broke up with Akaashi and he finds you needing some help, only to realise maybe you don’t need his help all the time.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Akaashi Keiji/Reader</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>18</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>space to grow</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>went to borrow books and then proceeded to read fanfiction and thought to myself: “why did i borrow the books then?”. add akaashi to the mix and my natural slant to angst, you get this :)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>You had hoped that your first meeting with your ex would be something <em>proper</em>. Not accidentally bumping into an old lady, causing her plastic to break and fruits she’s handpicked rolling all over the floor, becoming bruised—and him helping you pick up the stray ones you missed. Balancing your items that were in your hands to awkward places (like under your armpit, on your forearm) is a challenge as you’re kneeling, reaching out to grab the fruits before they roll away, so you were grateful for the stranger’s help, until you look up and lock eyes with colours you always got lost in. The lady’s complains fade with the chatter of the crowd, and you want to feel apologetic for dropping the fruit you’ve just picked.</p><p>“Watch where you’re going,” the lady finishes her lecture, half of it not even reaching you. Huffing, she snatches the fruit you re-picked from the floor and walks away.</p><p>Repositioning your things back to the comforts of your hands, you give him a wry smile as a form of greeting. Akaashi equals that in his own way, giving you a small wave to make up for the lack of a smile.</p><p>He looks at the 3 books on your left hand, glances at the direction of the library you came from, and back to the phone in your other hand, the bright screen showing nothing but a screen of text. In embarrassment, with your index finger, you lock your phon screen.</p><p>“You shouldn’t walk while using your phone,” he warns gently. “It’s not the first,” he reminds, and you feel heat rise up to your face as you avoid his stare, looking past him to your destination that is just metres away from you. Still, even if the embarrassment is your drive to get away, your feet stays grounded.</p><p>“I know,” and you really do; it’s just if your trajectory is straight, you surely can indulge, just a little. You shift your weight into your feet, each taking its turn to hold the heaviness of your heart as you stand before him, aware of who is the one who called things off. You would say more, probably ramble about how the fanfic is just <em>too good</em> that you have to read it while commuting before you read the actual books when you get back home.</p><p>However, your lips are pressed shut, stitched by the ghost of your last words to him; a selfish request he had respected. You wonder what’s going through his brain right now, it being possibly the only reason why you’re waiting for him to speak. He isn’t moving anyways, and your heart clings to that hint for hope to shimmer through your weary muscles. But even hope isn’t enough for you to ignore how your socks had slipped below your ankles, the back of your old running shoes scratching your skin as you continued to play with your weight, switching from your left leg to right, right to left.</p><p>“Your socks,” he says as if reading your mind, and you take this chance to reach down and adjust them to your desire. If it isn’t for your phone and 3 books, you would have followed the routine to slip your hand with his and walk to the destination of your date. You still yourself, clearing your throat.</p><p>“Thanks,” you finally muster out, awkwardness in your tone and the way you smile, lips pressed together.</p><p>He finally moves, sidestepping, and you take this as the cue that’s all he has to say. Carrying your heart that grows even heavier, you rest it on the clouds of words as you sink into whatever story you were reading.</p>
<hr/><p>“Your ex?” Akaashi’s friend asks as he returns to his side, eyes and hands still flicking through whatever social media app he’s on.</p><p>“Yeah,” is all Akaashi can say as his eyes follow you. You lift your head to take note of the escalator in front of you, getting on safely before your head dips back to the screen.</p><p>“Tell me again who got dumped?” Your friend says, eyes following you too, and if Akaashi could, he would tell him not to stare. “You?”</p><p>Akaashi nods and his friend merely pats his back as a form of support. You continue your journey up, occupied with the world from your screen.</p><p>“You’re not the one at lost,” he adds. “She probably expected too much from you.” He laughs, and Akaashi knows it’s at the way someone bumps your shoulder as they climb up the escalator, but your stare holds firm with the screen. You didn’t even bother to know who bumped into you.</p><p>“Not really,” Akaashi says as he plays with his hands. In fact, you didn’t really expect anything from him. It was hard to understand why you wanted to cut things off. In all honesty, he still isn’t too sure. But one thing is certain: “I think the books, their for an entirely different reason than you’re suggesting.”</p><p>In actuality, he doesn’t feel like he’s too good for you. He was given a chance, a few months, to crack your code, but he failed. He sees you slipping back to your old habits; somehow, when he looks at you, you feel transient. There but not really, lost in whatever that’s up in your head with eyes that are clouded with delusions. He missed seeing your clear eyes, not the ones he saw just now.</p><p>You trip at the top, almost falling if not for the fact you miraculously regained your balance. He retracts his hand, pushing it close to his body as if that reaction was a glitch of some sorts. It’s the first time he sees you balance without him. You glance behind, and when your eyes lock with his, you fasten your steps to disappear into the building.</p><p>Maybe no one is better for the other—a vine and a branch nonexistent. Maybe both of you were just trees that needed space between to grow.</p><p>“Let’s go,” Akaashi whispers, defeated.</p>
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